Five Facts Thursday - please welcome Karen McCullough

Five Facts About A Question of Fire

1.   The heroine of A Question of Fire is probably my favorite of all the heroines I’ve ever written. She has an off-beat sense of humor that manifests at odd times. A number of readers have commented how much they enjoyed her unusual brand of wit. At one point in the book she’s having lunch with the hero, who is a bit of a health-food nut. See the excerpt below for their dialogue.

2.   The climactic confrontation involves our heroes in a chase through the woods of the Blue Ridge Mountains and then a car chase on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s an area I’ve traveled many times and writing that scene was about as much fun as it’s possible for a writer to have.

3.   This was the second novel I ever wrote, but it wasn’t my first published novel.  I wrote four more complete novels before I sold my first one, The Night Prowlers, to Avalon Books.

4.   It did eventually sell to a publisher, but only after I’d rewritten it completely three times.

5.   It’s been through several different publishers. After it went out of print, I got back the rights to it. It then went to an e-publisher, who went out of business a few months later. The rights to it were transferred to another small press publisher, who put out both print and ebook versions before themselves going out of business.  I released it myself as an ebook a few years ago, my first venture into e-publishing.

Blurb:

When Cathy Bennett agrees to attend an important party as a favor for her boss, she knows she won't enjoy it. But she doesn't expect to end up holding a dying man in her arms and becoming the recipient of his last message. Bobby Stark has evidence that will prove his younger brother has been framed for arson and murder. He wants that evidence to get to his brother's lawyer, and he tries to tell Cathy where he's hidden it. But he dies before he can give her more than a cryptic piece of the location.

The man who killed Bobby saw him talking to her and assumes she knows where the evidence is hidden. He wants it back and he'll do whatever it takes to get it, including following her and trying to kidnap her.

Cathy enlists the aid of attorney Peter Lowell and Danny Stark, Bobby's prickly, difficult younger brother, as well as a handsome private detective to help her find the evidence before the killers do.

Excerpt: 

Lowell was quiet while the waitress delivered their plates.  "I suppose I owe you the assistance," he said when the girl had left.  "Since it's my client we're trying to get off the hook."  He picked up his sandwich, which seemed to consist mostly of lettuce and tomato, and took a bite.  He noticed her staring at him.   "What's the matter?"

"What have you got on your sandwich?" she asked.

"Lettuce, tomato, Provolone cheese, mayonnaise, and cucumber.  Why?"

"Cucumber?"  Cathy had to repress a shiver.  "Why aren't you having a real sandwich?  You're not on a diet, are you?"  Lowell was built pretty lean, but he might have to work to stay that way.

"This is a real sandwich," he said.

"There's no meat on it.  This is a real sandwich."  Cathy held up her roast beef.

He looked at it with distaste.  "That's a pile of cholesterol between two pieces of limp styrofoam."

"At least it's edible.  Human food."  She pointed at his lunch.  "That's a salad on two pieces of burnt toast."

"This is good for you."

"But this tastes good."

"This argument is ridiculous," Lowell said, setting his sandwich down.  "Truce.  Eat your lunch and enjoy it, and I'll eat mine.  And enjoy it, too.  Cucumber and all.  Fair enough?"

Buy Links:

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002W5RBZS

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-question-of-fire-karen-mccullough/1004338298?ean=2940012198129

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/43245

Kobo: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/a-question-of-fire/9781452411699-item.html

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/sv/book/a-question-of-fire/id450431562?l=en&mt=11

 Author Bio:

Karen McCullough’s wide-ranging imagination makes her incapable of sticking to one genre for her storytelling. As a result, she’s the author of more than a dozen published novels and novellas, which span the mystery, fantasy, paranormal, and romantic suspense genres. A former computer programmer who made a career change into being an editor with an international trade publishing company for many years, she now runs her own web design business to support her writing habit. Awards she’s won include an Eppie Award for fantasy; three other Eppie finals; Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards, and an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. She lives in Greensboro, NC, with her husband of many years.

Website: http://www.kmccullough.com

Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough

Is this the World's Weirdest place?

I'm in a the land of Raquel Welch, bad tempered camels, steam geysers and wood that spontaneously combusts.

The local farmers on this island once used camels to plow their fields, but now they prefer tractors. Not that there’s much agriculture here. Between 1730 and 1736 the local volcano spewed gas and lava across the land.

A local priest, Father Andrés Lorenzo Curbelo, gave us this haunting description of nature at its cruelest.

 The earth suddenly opened near Timanfaya. An enormous mountain emerged from the ground with flames coming from its summit. It continued burning for 19 days. Some days later, a new abyss developed and an avalanche of lava rushed down over Timanfaya, Rodeo and part of Mancha Blanca. The lava extended over to the northern areas to begin with, running as fast as water, though it soon slowed down and ran like honey.

Fortunately, no lives were lost, but the good father tells us.

 Cattle dropped dead, asphyxiated by the vapors. Huge numbers of dead fish floated about on the sea or were thrown on to the shore. 

Nature destroyed people’s homes, land, crops, and cattle. The soil they’d worked for centuries lay beneath a thick lava crust. Just walking across a lava field is a braving death trap.

Have you worked out where I am yet?

I’m on the Spanish Island of Lanzarote, just 78 miles off the coast of Africa. The whole place is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, where scientists study the way nature reclaims the land.

You know I write erotic romance, right? It took me a while to work out the thing  between the mascot’s legs was his demon tail.

A visit to the Timanfaya national park is a must. 

Of course, in the UK, entrance to National Parks is free so I turned my nose up at paying the modest entrance charge. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Parking is limited and strictly monitored. It’s on a one in, one out basis. The road went up, up, and then up again. We pulled up and made our way to the Cesar Manrique designed restaurant.

At the highest point of the car park, guides sorted us by nationality then herded us onto coaches. The height gave us a good view of the alien landscape.

Misshapen lava towers twisted around us as the coach ran along a narrow ravine that climbed to the volcano summits. The lava’s thin in parts and brittle. Any unwary human walking here could put their foot through it and plummet into the lava cave below.

I already have plans to set a book here.

Once the coach dropped us back in the car park, things got weirder.

A barbecue grill sits over a hole in the ground. And boy is it hot. So hot that the earth’s natural heat cooks succulent chicken pieces here.

Of course, I had to try some. What can I say?

Best. Lunch. Ever.

 While we ate, strange things were going on outside.

Guides tipped water into hollow cans atop tubes stuck in the ground

Three seconds later, the water evaporated and steam shot out the can in a high-pressure geyser.

Then, on the lower balcony, a guide thrust a piece of tree branch into a hole. No messing around striking flints or rubbing sticks together here.

So what do camels and Raquel Welch have to do with anything?

This landscape was used in the original version of the film 1000000 Years BC.

Raquel strutted through the lava in her fur bikini, but she had to watch where she put her feet.

And the camels?

Before we reached the national park, we went camel trekking. Have you ever ridden a camel?

Talk about bad tempered. The groan and spit, but they’re cloven hooved and sure footed.

  Riding one is like balancing in swaying crow’s nest atop a high mast. No wonder they call them the ship of the desert. Originally they were imported from Africa. Now they're a tourist attraction.

Lanzarote is certainly one of the weirdest places I've ever been. 

Five Facts Thursday - please welcome Daryl Devore

Seven planes lift off…seven planes crash…seven stories of struggle, passion and love in the barren Canadian Wilderness, the coast of England, or the steamy heat of a tropical island. Romance hangs in the balance between survival and death.

Crashing Into Love is the brain child anthology of Brenda Dyer and D'Ann Lindun and as one of the 7 authors I'm here today with 5 facts from the anthology.

Fact 1 – from Brace For Impact – by Daryl Devore – The scene where the evacuation chute opens inside the plane is based on an actual event.

Fact 2 – from Crashing Into You by Lisa Kumar – While Lisa has never worked as a social worker like her heroine Ashlee has, she has worked in the mental health field as a crisis worker and as a therapeutic support person.

Fact 3 – from Crash and Burn by Melissa Keir - In her story, she included her real dog as a character. Keira needed a baby to love since she couldn't have a baby due to infertility problems so the dog becomes a fur baby.

Fact 4 – from Crashing Through Time by Jenna Jaxon – The beginning of Jenna's book is based on a true incident when her daughter and she were flying back from Memphis. But the left engine didn't actually catch on fire, it just smelled like it had. Her fact is that plane engines that have sat in a hangar for a while smell like they're catching fire when started.

Fact 5 – from A Splash of Romance by Deb Julienne - In this story, the true fact is that instead of a python, it was an octopus that wrapped around Deb and to quote her ...oh God...I need a shower...still freaked out.

Blurbs 

Brace for Impact by Daryl Devoré. What could be simpler than a routine plane trip from Toronto, Canada to Caracas, Venezuela for rookie flight attendant, Lori, and sexy R.C.M.P. officer, Guy Lapierre? But Fate had other intentions.

Crashing into You by Lisa Kumar When Ashlee Trent meets handsome businessman Kaiden West on a plane to Australia, he eases her fears even as he sets her heart ablaze. But after their plane crashes into the ocean and they wash ashore, will the secrets surrounding him send their budding relationship into a nosedive?

Crash and Burn by Melissa Keir Can Rob and Keira's second honeymoon lead to romance, or will it crash and burn? On the verge of a divorce, Rob and Keira Matthews book a second honeymoon at the urging of their counselor. Unable to conceive, they've pushed each other away in an effort to protect their hearts. Will a romantic holiday be the ticket to love or a plane crash in disaster??

Crashing Through Time by Jenna Jaxon The most dangerous thing about time travel is knowledge of the past: does she save him and change history, or let the tragic events play out and lose the love of her life?
More than hearts can be broken when you crash through time. 

Love Comes Crashing In by Brenda Dyer Best friends find love in each other's arms, but can that love survive reality?

Falling Hard by D'Ann Lindun He craves solitude to forget what a woman did to him. She needs one last chance before her career ends. Can a plane crash in the Canadian Rockies show them what really matters?

A Splash of Romance by Deb Julienne Hannah Parks is a trauma nurse on her way to a symposium at the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. She just started her bucket list and a plane crash definitely isn't on it. Oliver Lawson's divorce is almost final and he's looking to start over. A tropical island, a gorgeous woman, and romance is one thing, getting there as a result of a crash landing...who knew?

Buy Links

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

The MIssing Ninth Legion? You decide

Last week, I wrote about a Yorkshire witch. This week it’s a Yorkshire ghost—or more honestly, a whole Roman legion of them.

I love ancient places, and I live in Leeds, just twenty miles from the historic City of York. The Celts called if Eoforwick—or place of the Yew Trees. When the Romans invaded, they Latinized the name to Eboracum.

Parts of the Roman fortress are visible in York Minster’s crypt. They built the first stone walls around the city. 

.Dere Street and other Roman roads all led to their fortress, and tourists can still visit the soldiers’ bathhouse in the cellar of the Roman Baths pub.

Even when the Romans left Britain, York prospered.

The Vikings conquered then colonised, but they called the town Jorvic. 

In 1066 King Harold fought off another Viking attack at Stamford Bridge just near York. Six days and a 275-mile march later, he lost the Battle of Hasting to William of Normandy—known at the time as William the Bastard. By then the Roman fortress was ruined, and the Normans built York’s magnificent Minster on the site.

This is where it gets spooky. In 1457 the Minster’s treasurer lived in a grand house just yards from the Minister. 

One of the old Roman Roads runs through its cellar. The Treasure’s House belongs to the National Trust now. They keep it in good order, and in 1953 a plumber’s young apprentice was working in the cellar.

The apprentice climbed his ladder and chiseled at the ceiling to get to the pipes. He heard a horn blow, and the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Soon after, he saw a Roman soldier on horseback come out of the wall, ride down the road, and vanish. He was so stunned he fell off his ladder.

I’d have been out of there, fast.

The apprentice was a damn sight braver than me. Once the horse vanished, a Roman legion marched out of the wall, all in pairs. They carried round shields on their left arm and held long daggers in their right hand. They wore green shirts and red skirts hung with strips of metal, but they had no legs below the knee.

When archaeologists excavated, they found a section of Roman Road beneath cellar. The apprentice realised the ghost legion had walked along it. He spotted the top of leather lacing just where the legs vanished.

Any historians out there? If there are, they’ll know Romans carried huge rectangular shields called scrutum and only laced their sandals to their ankles. Or so everyone once thought.

Archaeologists on Hadrian’s Wall discovered the Romans there fought with round shields and laced their sandals up to their knees.

 Only they discovered them long after the 1950’s. Experts now agree the young apprentice’s description was correct, but again, back in the 1950’s they’d have said his details were wrong.

Coincidence? Or an army of Roman ghosts? The missing Ninth legion perhaps? You decide.

When the apprentice fled the cellar, the Treasurer’s House curator took one look at his face and knew he’d seen the ghosts. 

Later, that apprentice, Harry Martindale, became a respected member of the police force. He never retracted his story though.  

Five Facts Thursday - please welcome K Lynn

5 Facts About His Womanly Ways and its author K. Lynn

 1.      His Womanly Ways began as K. Lynn's one and only participation in NaNoWriMo in 2011.                The rough draft won the event, then she had to write even more to finish out the novel.

 2.      K. Lynn comes from fandom, which is where her interest in the genderswap genre began.

 3.      The main plotline for His Womanly Ways was meant to merely focus on Alex's changes, but               Eve became such an integral part of that journey that the romantic subplot emerged                               organically as a result.

4.      The novel kicks off a busy summer for K. Lynn, who also has three novellas and a short story              coming out from various publishers between May and September.

5.      When going into the book project, the overarching intention was to provide a new take on the              genderswap genre – looking at the feelings of your inner self not aligning with the physical                  outer self that others see.

Book Blurb

Alex is a womanizer. He makes no excuses for it. Yes, he picks up women at the local bar, leaving them with just a memory of a good night and a good lay, but he hasn't had any complaints yet. That is, until he picks up the wrong woman. Not satisfied to be tossed aside as just another notch in Alex's bedpost, she curses him, wishing he “knew what it was like for a woman.” And he's about to find out what she means, embarking on a genderswap journey that he can't stop.

Alex starts slowly gaining secondary female characteristics, his body becoming more like a woman than the man he used to be. Alex tries to hide the changes he's going through, for fear that someone will discover his secret, but keeping this quite literally “under wraps” might be impossible before the curse runs its course.

With the help of his female best friend, Eve, Alex tries to deal with who he is becoming.  He feels like he's lost his identity, his mind not matching the body he now has. But Eve sticks by him, and they become closer as Alex's changes progress. What started out as friendship may become something more before Alex's journey is over. Perhaps this curse was actually a blessing in disguise.

Excerpt

“I don't need you to courier anybody, okay?” he growled. “This is more serious.”

She gave him a raised eyebrow. “I'm not helping you get rid of a body either. That was just a joke. You can't hold me to anything I say when I'm drunk.”

“Shut up, there's no dead body,” he said, untying the strings on the front of his sweatpants. “There's something wrong with me.”

“For fuck's sake, Alex, I don't want to see your diseased dick,” Eve said, covering her eyes. “Go to the clinic.”

“I don't think the clinic can help me with this,” he said, pulling his pants and underwear down and sitting on the edge of the bed in front of her. Alex pushed his legs apart, splaying them so there was no way she could miss the problem when she opened her eyes again.

“Eve, just look,” he urged, looking up at her.

“No!” she said, keeping her eyes fully covered.

“Please, Eve, I'm freaking out here and you're the only person I knew to call,” his tone was pleading now and he was starting to freak out again. “Just look at me.”

“I told you,” she began as she started taking her hand away from her face, “I don't want to see...what the hell is that?!” Her eyes widened as she saw him in full glory, her face losing all trace of color as she stumbled back.

“You should know, you've got one yourself,” he said with a pasted-on smirk, but his attempt at humor fell flat.     

Buy Links

·         Torquere Press

·         Amazon

·         Barnes and Noble

·         All Romance

·         And wherever books are sold

Yorkshire's Most Famous Witch. Fact or Fiction. You decide.

Some witches curse and cackle. Some, like Meena in Curse of the Fae King, are the sassy, sexy sort.

Then there are the ones who send shivers down your spine.

Ursula Southeil, born in the reign of Henry the Eighth, didn’t have a beautiful bone in her body. Even as a baby, no one wanted to nurse her...maybe because odd things happened around her.

Once she and the wooden cradle she slept in vanished. Her family found her  hours later, back where she should have been. Doesn’t sound too bad does it? If you add in that the cradle floated three feet above the ground, and it gets spooky. Sometimes plates flew off shelves and smashed when she was in the house. She can’t have been a comfortable companion, even as a child.

No one wants a wife so ugly their eyes hurt from looking at her. Perhaps tales of Ursula’s ugliness grew in the telling since she married Thomas Shipton a carpenter from York. After that, people called her Old Mother Shipton. She told fortunes and sold charms. Some say her hooked nose and long chin make her the basis of Mr. Punch in traditional seaside shows. Others suggest she was the model for a pantomime dame.

Old Mother Shipton supposedly predicted the mobile phone, the airplane, and the Crimean War. Just for good measure, she foretold the end of the world —but like Nostradamus some hundred years before her, her verses are obscure.

One prophesy fascinates me. Mother Shipton claimed that Cardinal Wolsey—the staunch Roman Catholic of King Henry Vlll's court—would see York but never visit it. He travelled there in November 1530 and stopped overnight in a small town not far from the city. 

He climbed the highest tower and looked across at York. 

The next day, King Henry’s soldiers arrested him and carted him back off to London. He died on the way back. The tower still stands today. 

 So was the prophecy fact or fiction? You decide.

Five Facts Thursday - please welcome Mike Lord

Adam Mann

    1.     Adam Mann is the pen name for Mike Lord.

    2.     Adam lives and works in Vietnam.

    3.     Three of Adam’s books are based in Africa, with two more in the pipeline.

    4.     Eleven of Adam’s books are based in Asia.

    5.     Adam loves ladies who wear high heels.

My buy links are:

                                  www.kdp.amzn.com/adammannauthor  

                                  www.smashwords.com/author/ButterflyBooks  

                                  www.adammannauthor.com

Twitter:  

                        @adammannauthor

                        @ButterlyBooks9